What do you think?
Rate this book
A Significant Other: Riding The Centenary Tour De France With Lance Armstrong
New in Paper
An inside look at the 2003 Tour de France through the eyes of Lance Armstrong's right-hand rider, Victor Hugo Peña--who also helped Armstrong ride to his unprecedented sixth victory in 2004. Peña served as Armstrong's domestique, a crucial yet unsung position unique to cycling. The domestique handles a variety of tasks, but his most important is to ride ahead of the team leader, creating a wind tunnel that makes it aerodynamically easier for the "star" to continue pedaling. This is the essence of cycling, and the key to Armstrong's victories. Now, in revealing the true role of the domestique for the first time, Matt Rendell gives a more vivid and insightful portrayal of professional cycling than ever before.
An inside look at the 2003 Tour de France through the eyes of Lance Armstrong's right-hand rider, Victor Hugo Peña--who also helped Armstrong ride to his unprecedented sixth victory in 2004. Peña served as Armstrong's domestique, a crucial yet unsung position unique to cycling. The domestique handles a variety of tasks, but his most important is to ride ahead of the team leader, creating a wind tunnel that makes it aerodynamically easier for the "star" to continue pedaling. This is the essence of cycling, and the key to Armstrong's victories. Now, in revealing the true role of the domestique for the first time, Matt Rendell gives a more vivid and insightful portrayal of professional cycling than ever before.
182 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
2 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 2, 2008
At the start I thought this was the best cycling book I had ever read. It gave wonderful insights into the role of the doemstiques in cycling - explaining their thoughts and assignments during a race. Later in the book the author rambled on way to long about the history of the tour de france and how the routes were designed, but I just started skipping those parts. Overall I thought this was one of the most elequently written cycling books with the best detail on the strategy and action that takes place within a single stage of the tour de france.
July 11, 2022
I read this back in June so can’t quite remember the details except to say Rendell’s prose is very, very compelling.
His description - maybe poetic license - of the feelings and drama inside the peloton is second to none and I plan to seek out more of his books
His description - maybe poetic license - of the feelings and drama inside the peloton is second to none and I plan to seek out more of his books
February 3, 2022
Some in-depth history of the Tour for hardcore cycling fans and exciting stages recap of 2004 Tour by Hugo Pena.
March 24, 2014
What a curious little book this is: Ostensibly this the story of one day racing in the Alps, but retold by a domestique rather than the usual point of view of the champion, but at best Rendell pays lip service to Victor Hugo Pena's recollections.
They are there, little gems of lung-bursting activity and tactics, but they are sprinkled around chapters dense with historical detail about the Tour de France: the planning and routes, its creator's battles with technological innovation, sections explaining the science of drafting and huge swerves into the realms of cycling philosophy, all provide meaty contract to Pena's recollections climbing up Luz Ardiden.
Hindsight being what it is, what turns out to be more fascinating is the fact Pena was no ordinary water-carrier. He worked for Lance Armstrong, so I spent a goodly amount of time trying to doublethink Pena's memories, which provided some unexpected-if-futile fun. There are moments when he talks about just being strangely stronger than the other teams and you think 'hello, I know what's going on here', but these insights are few, and mostly what is revealed is the extreme level of order the team is run on, rather than the hidden hand of drugs this probably covered.
Still drugs or no - and let's face it, most teams were doping at this point - this is the story of how an unknown Colombian cyclist managed to hold the maillot jaune for a couple of days before pulling himself inside-out on an Alpine climb to get his boss into that same leaders jersey, revealing a truth about the chances of success for 98% of professional cyclists, and what they go through for those destined for fame and fortune.
They are there, little gems of lung-bursting activity and tactics, but they are sprinkled around chapters dense with historical detail about the Tour de France: the planning and routes, its creator's battles with technological innovation, sections explaining the science of drafting and huge swerves into the realms of cycling philosophy, all provide meaty contract to Pena's recollections climbing up Luz Ardiden.
Hindsight being what it is, what turns out to be more fascinating is the fact Pena was no ordinary water-carrier. He worked for Lance Armstrong, so I spent a goodly amount of time trying to doublethink Pena's memories, which provided some unexpected-if-futile fun. There are moments when he talks about just being strangely stronger than the other teams and you think 'hello, I know what's going on here', but these insights are few, and mostly what is revealed is the extreme level of order the team is run on, rather than the hidden hand of drugs this probably covered.
Still drugs or no - and let's face it, most teams were doping at this point - this is the story of how an unknown Colombian cyclist managed to hold the maillot jaune for a couple of days before pulling himself inside-out on an Alpine climb to get his boss into that same leaders jersey, revealing a truth about the chances of success for 98% of professional cyclists, and what they go through for those destined for fame and fortune.
February 28, 2012
Possibly 2.5 stars.
There is a lot of interesting information here - snippets of Pena's 2003 Tour (he was in yellow for a few days), occasional explanations of cycling elements including energy conservation, group dynamics, and overall strategy, a couple of behind the scenes observations of Lance’s work ethic and leadership skills, thoughts on cycling domestiques and lots and lots of Tour history. However, it doesn’t blend well. You don’t get much of a picture of Lance. It isn’t a thorough explanation of cycling strategy and shifting alliances. It isn’t even a complete tail of the 2003 Tour.
I’m not sure what this book was trying to be – but I liked pieces of it and the rest were okay. If you LOVE cycling, it might mean more to you (and you might be more forgiving of the flaws).
Check out esp. Ch 3 explanations of the Line and the Ball formations and Ch 9 description of the first long climb: "As we began to climb, Armstrong said, 'Not here, it's too easy. Further up' - he knows exactly where the steepest stretches are on each climb."
There is a lot of interesting information here - snippets of Pena's 2003 Tour (he was in yellow for a few days), occasional explanations of cycling elements including energy conservation, group dynamics, and overall strategy, a couple of behind the scenes observations of Lance’s work ethic and leadership skills, thoughts on cycling domestiques and lots and lots of Tour history. However, it doesn’t blend well. You don’t get much of a picture of Lance. It isn’t a thorough explanation of cycling strategy and shifting alliances. It isn’t even a complete tail of the 2003 Tour.
I’m not sure what this book was trying to be – but I liked pieces of it and the rest were okay. If you LOVE cycling, it might mean more to you (and you might be more forgiving of the flaws).
Check out esp. Ch 3 explanations of the Line and the Ball formations and Ch 9 description of the first long climb: "As we began to climb, Armstrong said, 'Not here, it's too easy. Further up' - he knows exactly where the steepest stretches are on each climb."
June 14, 2014
This is a book that doesn't deliver what it says on the cover. I was expecting a detailed account of life on the tour with Lance Armstrong. instead, it is a history of the Tour de France, the principles of riding in a group and an account of one stage of the centenary tour.
The book is well written and readable, but doesn't really offer anything new.
It predates Armstrong's drug cheating conviction, so some of the rhetoric is quite amusing with hindsight.
The book is well written and readable, but doesn't really offer anything new.
It predates Armstrong's drug cheating conviction, so some of the rhetoric is quite amusing with hindsight.
May 4, 2009
An interesting part-biography of a "domestique" - a rider in a cycling team who has a specific role such as helping with mountain or flat stages that helps the team's leader, in this case Lance Armstrong.
The book is slightly awkwardly written and occasionally unclear but is still worth reading if you're interested in professional cycling
The book is slightly awkwardly written and occasionally unclear but is still worth reading if you're interested in professional cycling
July 23, 2011
Cycling is not a sport I've ever felt I entirely understood. This book goes some way to explaining what its about. Some of the detailed accounts of the individual stages drag a bit, but I've never read a better account of the actual technicalities of cycling, as a strange hybrid between team and individual sport.
April 20, 2012
I was looking forward to getting a real insight into arguably the greatest endurance event in the world from possibly the best viewpoint - that of a rider. Very disappointed as it was more an account of the history of the Tour than that of a domestique. Title slightly misleading perhaps?
October 4, 2013
Ostensibly about Victor Hugo Pena, it's really a piece of pro-Lance writing. It is interesting in its own way, but reinforces the Postal Team image of hiring a bunch of strong riders who don't talk back. It left me feeling bad for Pena, though I know that wasn't the point.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews